


A Snowy London

by Small_Hobbit



Category: Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-28
Updated: 2015-05-28
Packaged: 2018-04-01 17:08:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4028005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Small_Hobbit/pseuds/Small_Hobbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are those who find London attractive in the snow.  Dr Watson is not one of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Snowy London

**Author's Note:**

> Written for LJ's Older Not Dead weather challenge.

There are those who say snow makes any location pretty and I suppose they may have a point. Freshly fallen snow covers much a traveller would prefer not to see and provides something the imaginative may describe as having a fairy tale quality.

However, it did nothing for the temper of a delivery man, who, having persuaded his reluctant horse to plough its way through the snowy roads, then tripped over a snow covered object when making his way to the tradesman’s entrance with his delivery. The further discovery the object in question was, in fact, a dead body, did even less to endear the snowy landscape to either the delivery man or Inspector Lestrade who had then been called out to investigate.

So much I gathered from Lestrade after we had received a request to join him. Normally the inspector would send a telegram if he required our urgent presence, but on this occasion he had despatched a constable to fetch us. Fortunately, despite the weather, the underground was functioning and we were able to take the Metropolitan Line close to where the crime had been discovered.

By this point Lestrade had commandeered the back room in a public house not far from the property in question. Holmes was still inspecting the path where the body had been found, and no doubt despairing as to the number and variety of additional footprints in the vicinity. I had taken advantage of the fire the publican had been persuaded to light and was listening to Lestrade as he bemoaned the disadvantages of having to work in the snow.

Shortly afterwards Holmes joined us. He stood in front of the fire attempting to get some warmth into his fingers. Despite the general obfuscation from the snowy footprints he had managed to discern a number of pointers. Lestrade had already deduced the man had been killed elsewhere, although his reasoning (“whoever did this was perfectly sane, and no sane man would stand around strangling someone in the snow and freezing cold”) was somewhat different from Holmes’ observation of the state of the ground under the corpse.

Holmes was keen to pursue enquiries in Clapham, but since the only way to get there would be to walk, no cabbie being willing to travel that far, he reluctantly agreed to postpone his journey. It was just as well, for the snow had started to fall again and I was keen to return to Baker Street before we risked having to spend the night in a room of the public house.

As we emerged from the underground station I slipped and Holmes grabbed my arm to prevent me falling. Once I had regained my balance he continued to hold my hand as I leant on his arm. We revelled in the opportunity to walk together holding hands, whilst the world thought Holmes was merely assisting an old soldier with a limp to reach his home.

As we walked Holmes complained his fingers were still stiff from the cold and he was afraid he might have trouble undoing his buttons when he came to undress, so I promised I would give him all the help he needed. I also intimated that since body heat was an excellent way to warm another person I had an idea which might help. Provided, of course, he shook off the snow which was now adhering to his boots before he traipsed it all upstairs, thus incurring Mrs Hudson’s wrath and putting paid to our quiet afternoon together.


End file.
